Santos blows 1st save as Sox falter

[May 21, 2011]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Sergio Santos' season-long scoreless streak was snapped, he blew his first save in seven chances and took his first loss Friday.

Talk about a rough night at the ballpark.

What bothered the White Sox's reliever the most was what his performance did to Chicago starter Phil Humber. It cost him the victory.

"That's the hardest part for me," Santos said after he gave up a game-tying homer in the ninth and three more runs in the 10th in a 6-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"It doesn't matter to me numbers, wins or losses, I don't care. He pitched his butt off and it's a game he should have won," Santos said.

Humber went seven innings, allowing a two-run homer to Matt Kemp in the first. Jesse Crain pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth and it looked like the White Sox were on their way to a win when Santos retired the first two batters in the ninth.

Santos had not been scored upon in 20 innings this season. But he gave up a two-out homer to No. 9 hitter Russell Mitchell in the ninth, tying the game, and then yielded three more runs in the 10th.

"It's a job I've wanted and just didn't get the job done tonight. It's that simple. No excuses. I just didn't make my pitches," said Santos, who gave up five hits and four runs in 1 1-3 innings. His ERA went from 0.00 to 1.69.

Manager Ozzie Guillen said before the game that Santos has all the necessary qualities to be a good closer -- like guts and good pitches -- but would not officially give him the title.

"I mean I think he was throwing the ball well, just one mistake. I think it was a pretty good pitch. One mistake tied the ballgame but the question is, `How is he going to be tomorrow?' I think tomorrow he'll be fine," Guillen said.

"That's part of the game, you have to learn from that. You hope, you wish it'll never happen again. But it will happen sooner or later in his career."

Jamey Carroll started the 10th with a single off Santos (2-1) for his fourth hit, and Kemp singled one out later.

Juan Castro, a seventh-inning replacement after second baseman Juan Uribe left with a hip flexor injury, then dumped an RBI single over first base. James Loney followed with an RBI double, and Jay Gibbons greeted Will Ohman with a run-scoring single.

Chicago had second and third with one out in the 10th and scored on Adam Dunn's RBI grounder before Mike MacDougal, who once pitched for Chicago, retired Paul Konerko on a grounder to end it.

Dunn, the White Sox's biggest offseason acquisition, went 0 for 5 and his average dropped to .196. He is 0 for 30 against left-handed pitchers this season.

"We know he going to strike out a lot because he did in the past. I'm concerned about this thing going to get to his head and him losing confidence," Guillen said.

"He's a professional, he's been doing this a long time. He knows what he doing. He's got great talent and you got to stick with him and get his best at-bat and give his best shot every day. That's all you can ask."

Gorden Beckham's fourth homer came right after consecutive two-out doubles by Alex Rios and Ramon Castro to give Chicago the 3-2 lead in the second.

NOTES: The White Sox were 15-3 in interleague play last season. ... Dodgers RHP Jon Garland will pitch at U.S. Cellular Field on Saturday for the first time since 2007, his final season with the White Sox. He'll be opposing his friend and former teammate Mark Buehrle. The two still text occasionally. Garland was 92-81 in eight seasons with Chicago and an 18-game winner in 2005 and 2006. He pitched a complete game against the Angels in the 2005 ALCS to help the White Sox make the World Series where they swept Houston. In the Game 4 clincher, Uribe made two stellar defensive plays from shortstop, falling into the stands to catch a pop and then fielding a slow grounder and making a quick throw to get the final out. Both Garland and Uribe were honored in a scoreboard tribute before Friday's game. They watched from the dugout and then tipped their caps to the crowd.

[Associated Press; By RICK GANO]

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